MALIBU, Calif. - Pepperdine women's tennis head coach Per Nilsson announced the hire of Mario Toledo as his new assistant coach today. Nilsson brings Toledo on staff with high expectations as Toledo had a long coaching history at the University of Tennessee as well as an impressive collegiate career with the Vols.

"I want to thank Dr. (Steve) Potts and Per Nilsson for this great opportunity to work for such a class act institution," said Toledo. "I am truly excited to be working with one of the best coaches in the country in Per.

"I also wanted to thank my junior college coach Billy Pate, who is now the men's head tennis coach at Princeton University, he has been a great friend and mentor in helping me get into the college game. I can't wait to get started with the upcoming season so I can help the girls with their tennis skills, as well as life skills."

Gualberto Escudero, who served as head coach for the Waves for 37 seasons before stepping down after the 2014 season, served as Nilsson's assistant in 2015.

Toledo has 12 years of coaching experience in the books. Prior to venturing to Malibu, he spent time at Rancho Valencia Resort and Spa, in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. The resort was named the No. 1 tennis resort by Tennis Magazine. While there, he taught players of all ages and levels, building not only skill on the court but an appreciation and love for the game.

While serving as a volunteer coach at UT for 10 years, Toledo assisted in practices and took care of the travel duties for the team on a part-time basis. He also worked at the Knoxville Racquet Club for five seasons as a head tennis professional where he organized adult clinics, planned tournaments and supervised the junior development program. He taught adults and juniors in both private and group lessons. During his time, he coached seven student-athletes to NCAA Division I scholarships.

"We are taking Pepperdine to another level and Mario brings a lot of coaching knowledge and experience to our team," said Nilsson. "Not only has he coached at a very high level, but his own success on the court as a player will be of great help to us. We are lucky to be able to add him to our staff and are excited about what it means for our team."

As a student-athlete, Toledo played with the Volunteers from 2000-02 after transferring from Georgia Perimeter College. In the 2000-01 season at Tennessee, he amassed a 7-0 conference record as the Volunteers advanced to the NCAA's championship match and was the only member of the team to go undefeated in SEC and NCAA Tournament play. Toledo went 19-8 in his junior season and in his senior campaign, he posted a 33-12 record. In his final season with the Vols, he tabbed All-American accolades and was ranked as high as 10th in the nation as he helped lead Tennessee to an NCAA Tournament semifinal appearance.

At GPC, he earned a junior college national championship in both 1999 and 2000. In his second season, he was also named the David Rowland Male Junior College Athlete of the Year, a national award covering all collegiate sports.